Brake system stabilizer assembly

ABSTRACT

The present invention adds a stabilizing force member to prior art Railway brake systems and greatly improves the control of the spatial orientation of a modified brake beam within a Railway vehicle and provides lateral support to a truck lever connection and levers, which in turn, properly locate actuating bars of the brake system. As a result, service life of brake beam support components and brake shoes are extended, brake lever friction is reduced, and brake system efficiency is increased.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Brake Systems on Railway vehicles employ force distributing members, including brake beams to provide train braking forces. A guiding and support means for the brake beams can take the form of extended end guides located at each end of the brake beam. These are positioned and supported within unit guide wear liners which are, in turn, installed in the railway truck frames. This assemblage of supporting and force distributing members also positions and aligns the frictional brake shoes with the wheel tread surfaces.

In the prior art, the combination of applied forces, reaction forces and frictional braking forces within this assemblage generate an adverse torque the moves the brake shoes away from the desired alignment with the wheel tread surfaces. The described forces often cause severe vibration in the previously mentioned supporting members. These members become worn and distorted. At some point in time, they are no longer able to properly align the brake shoes with the wheels.

Consequently, the worn supporting members of the prior art allow the brake shoes to wear increasingly more at one end than the other. This uneven brake shoe wear requires premature replacement, where a considerable amount of brake friction material is resultingly discarded as unusable. Brake shoe maintenance costs are higher than necessary. Other progressive damage also occurs to levers and actuating bars of the brake system. The progressive damage reduces the available braking force and renders the involved train less safe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention adds a stabilizing force member that greatly improves the control of the spatial orientation of a modified brake beam within a railway vehicle and provides lateral support to a truck lever connection and levers, which in turn, properly locate actuating bars of the brake system.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a stabilizing force member that can be fitted to brake rigging assemblies of various railway vehicles to counteract the adverse torque imposed on a brake beam during brake applications. The use of the present invention causes an improved operating alignment between installed brake shoes and the railway vehicle wheels.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a stabilizing force member that can be fitted to brake rigging assemblies of various railway vehicles to provide desired alignment and a resulting low friction interface between extended end guides of the brake beam and unit guide wear liners installed in the side frames.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a stabilizing force member that can be fitted to brake rigging assemblies of various railway vehicles to increase the useful life of railway cars and their wheels by reducing vibration from damaged wheels, as frequently occur when using a prior art support means for the braking system.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a stabilizing force member that can be fitted to brake rigging assemblies of various railway vehicles to provide a support means for a braking system that uses standard brake levers.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stabilizing force member that can be fitted to brake rigging assemblies of various railway vehicles and to provide attachment points on brake beams and force transmitting connectors for connecting a stabilizing force member.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a stabilizing force member that causes a brake lever to have guided lateral support.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing objects and other advantages of the present invention can be better understood from the following detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment which, in turn, refer to these drawings:

FIG. 1. is a partial elevation of a prior art brake head and end guide of a brake beam, supported and guided within a unit guide wear liner. This sketch demonstrates how misalignment between brake shoes and wheel tread surfaces can possibly occur in the prior art.

FIG. 2. is a partial elevation view of a Brake Beam Stabilizer Assembly of the present invention installed in a Railway car brake system using a force transmitting connector positioned above the brake beam strut.

FIG. 3. is a perspective view of a Brake Beam Stabilizer Assembly of the present invention installed in a Railway car brake system showing the connections with the brake beam strut, the force transmitting lever and a force transmitting connector positioned above the brake beam strut.

FIG. 4. is a partial elevation view of a Brake Beam Stabilizer Assembly of the present invention installed in a Railway car brake system using a force transmitting connector positioned below the brake beam strut.

FIGS. 5 a through 5 d. show details of possible arrangements of the stabilizing force member of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1, extended end guide 11 and brake head 12 are parts of brake beam assembly 13 in the prior art. Brake shoe 19 is installed and fastened in brake head 12. End guide 11 is positioned within upper inside surface 15 and lower inside surface 17 of wear liner 14 (visible in the cut-out areas of brake head 12 and brake shoe 19). Corners of end guide 11 may make contact with inside surfaces 15 and 17 at areas 16 and 18 when the brakes are applied.

Repeated brake applications may cause end guides 11 and wear liner 14 to wear away at areas 16 and 18. These worn areas allow end guide 11, brake head 12, brake beam assembly 13 and brake shoe 19 to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction as depicted in this figure. In this orientation, wear of brake shoe 19 will be greater in the top area 19 a compared to bottom area 19 b. At some point in time, top area 19 a will wear to the minimum thickness allowed while a large fraction of the brake friction material originally available at bottom area 19 b still remains. At worst, about half of the original brake friction material may be unusable. This makes it more expensive for the owner of the Railway car to properly maintain the vehicle.

In FIG. 2, extended end guide 21, brake head 22 and strut 27 are components of brake beam assembly 23 of the present invention. Force transmitting lever 28 is connected by means of pins or other pin-like devices 29 and 30 (shown sectioned) to force transmitting connector 31 and strut 27 in the usual manner of the prior art. For the purposes of discussion, pins and pin-like devices will be considered to be interchangeable throughout this patent application. Similarly, force transmitting connectors may be of simple solid design or composed of a multitude of components, some of which may be movable within an assembly.

Stabilizing force member 32 is connected by means of pins 33 and 34 to force transmitting connector 31 and strut 27. The alignment between brake shoe 35 and wheel 36 is now controlled by a four bar linkage comprising the connected combination of strut 27, force transmitting lever 28, force transmitting connector 31 and stabilizing force member 32. This alignment is maintained because strut 27 and force transmitting connector 31 are held in a parallel relationship regardless of the angularity of lever 28 or stabilizing force member 32.

This assembly of components provides a resistance against the generated brake torque when brake shoe 35 is forced into wheel 36 during braking operations. In the present invention, end guide 21 of brake beam assembly 23 is now positioned in a generally parallel manner to lower surface 25 of wear liner 24 (visible in the cut-out areas of brake head 22 and brake shoe 35). Corner wear and resulting misalignment of the prior art components is minimized, as is their usual progressive deterioration with time. Brake shoe 35 now wears approximately evenly from top to bottom.

The components shown in FIG. 2 comprise one half of a simple brake arrangement in one truck of a Railway car. The other half is a mirror image of similar parts connected to the right end of force transmitting connector 31 and partially represented in FIG. 3. Force transmitting connector 31 may be one piece or it may be a self adjusting force transmitting connector 31 a.

Another feature of the present invention is demonstrated in FIG. 3. The right end of force transmitting member 31 is connected by means of pins 29 a and 33 a to force transmitting lever 28 a and stabilizing force member 32 a. The lower ends of force transmitting lever 28 a and stabilizing force member 32 a are connected to strut 27 a by pins 30 a and 34 a in a manner similar to that depicted in FIG. 2.

Stabilizing force member 32 a may have two legs 37 a and 38 a, each connected to strut 27 a by means of pin 34 a. The use of two legs compared to one greatly improves the lateral stability of stabilizing force member 32 a and consequently provides positive lateral support for lever 28 a and is further discussed below. Stabilizing force members 32 and 32 a provide lateral stability and positioning for each end of force transmitting connector 31. As a result, force transmitting connector 31 provides guided support for force transmitting levers 28 and 28 a in a manner that reduces lever binding and wear that were common in the prior art assembly. The top 28 ta of lever 28 a is also held in a desirable lateral orientation that facilitates its connection to top actuating bar 77 using pin 76. Top actuating bar 77 is similarly held in a desirable lateral position that prevents uncontrolled contact with other parts of the railway car as often occurs in the prior art.

In order to adapt to levers having differing bends in the various brake systems, leg 39 a of stabilizing force member 32 a may be correspondingly bent to accommodate a bend as in force transmitting lever 28 a between holes that receive pins 29 a and 30 a.

FIG. 4 depicts one of many alternate arrangements of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, extended end guide 54, brake head 40 and strut 41 are components of brake beam assembly 42. Force transmitting lever 44 is connected by means of pins 45 and 46 to strut 41 and force transmitting connector 43 in the usual manner of the prior art. In the arrangement shown, force transmitting connector 43 is positioned below strut 41.

In the present invention, stabilizing force member 47 is connected by means of pins 48 and 49 to strut 41 and force transmitting connector 43. A four bar linkage is formed by the connected combination of strut 41, force transmitting lever 44, force transmitting connector 43 and stabilizing force member 47. This linkage controls alignment between brake shoe 50 and wheel 51

This assembly of components provides similar resistance against the generated brake torque when brake shoe 50 is forced into wheel 51 during braking operations, compared to the results achieved with the components shown in FIG. 3. In this variation of the present invention, end guide 54 is positioned in a generally parallel manner to lower surface 52 of wear liner 53 (visible in the cut-out areas of brake head 40 and brake shoe 50). Corner wear and resulting misalignment of the prior art components is also avoided when force transmitting connector 43 is arranged below strut 41. Brake shoe 50 wears approximately evenly from top to bottom as well.

The arrangements of the stabilizing force member of the present invention shown in FIGS. 5 a through 5 d are not meant to be exhaustive of the possibilities. A person skilled in the art of design or fabrication, for example, may be able to provide further variations of the concept.

In FIG. 5 a, stabilizing force member 32 a has a jaw end 60 a comprised of central leg 37 a and outer leg 38 a. Hole 55 a is located between surfaces 58 a and 58 b on inner leg 37 a. Hole 56 a is located between surfaces 59 a and 59 b on outer leg 38 a. For practical purposes, holes 55 a and 56 a are co-cylindrical in order to accept pin 34 a shown and described in FIG. 3. Connector end 61 a, in this instance is a single leg, aligned with central arm 37 a and accommodates hole 57 a.

In FIG. 5 b. connector end 64 is bent relative to jaw end 65 in stabilizing force member 63. For simplicity, holes are not shown.

In FIG. 5 c. connector end 67 is not aligned with either arm in jaw end 68 in stabilizing force member 66. For simplicity, holes are not shown.

In FIG. 5 d. connector end 71 and jaw end 72 in stabilizing force member 70 are both bifurcated. For simplicity, holes are not shown. 

1. A Brake System Stabilizer Assembly that utilizes one or more stabilizing force members each connected with pins or other devices between force transmitting elements of the brake system.
 2. A Brake System Stabilizer Assembly that utilizes one or more stabilizing force members each connected between a brake beam and another force transmitting element as in claim
 1. 3. A Brake System Stabilizer Assembly that utilizes one or more stabilizing force members each having one bifurcated end and one simple end and connected between force transmitting elements of the brake system.
 4. A Brake System Stabilizer Assembly that utilizes one or more stabilizing force members each having one bifurcated end and one simple end and connected between a brake beam and another force transmitting element as in claim
 3. 5. A Brake System Stabilizer Assembly that utilizes one or more stabilizing force members each having one or more bent legs and connected with pins or other devices between force transmitting elements of the brake system.
 6. A Brake System Stabilizer Assembly that utilizes one or more stabilizing force members each having one or more bifurcated ends and connected between a brake beam and another force transmitting element or connector.
 7. A Brake System Stabilizer Assembly that utilizes a brake beam or other like structural device having a strut-like member that has an integral means within a lever receiving slot to connect a stabilizing force member.
 8. A Brake System Stabilizer Assembly that utilizes a simple force transmitting connector of fixed length or with multiple attaching points and having means to connect one or more stabilizing force members as in claim
 6. 9. A Brake System Stabilizer Assembly that utilizes a complex force transmitting connector that may be self-adjusting and having means to connect one or more stabilizing force members as in claim
 6. 